Smartphone heavyweights commit to anti-theft kill-switch

While most smartphones already offer some degree of security (think Apple’s Find My iPhone), there’s always more that could be done to stop precious personal data from falling into the hands of any light-fingered toerag that pinches your mobile.

Well, now the big mobile phone manufacturers have committed to doing more – at least in the US. From July 2015, all smartphones sold by America’s five main carriers, as well as by the likes of Apple, HTC, Microsoft, Samsung, Nokia, Google, Motorola and Huawei, will come with an anti-theft “kill-switch”.

Wiping the grin off a thief's face

This will allow owners of stolen phones to remotely wipe their devices, or render them totally useless from afar. Lost and stolen devices can be restored after recovery. Good to know. The idea, however, is to make the remote kill-switch so widespread that thieves are deterred from stealing smartphones in the first place.